This Friday February 4th will be a Historic Moment in Hip Hop. It’s the kick off to the AeroSoul 2 which has been described as a Moral Boost for the Hood. It’s noted as:
This is the First African Mural Diaspora conference in colonial history..It’s HipHop PanAfricanism Rising to advocate for Black youth. Joining us will be the finest Artist that the Spraycan Art genre has to offer in way of Talent and commitment. There will also be a HipHop Drum Circle on the Turntables provided by The Universal Zulu Nation & DJ 12vles. Dancing… Art… Cultural craft vendors(please bring $ome dough) that will have FRESH & rare items.
Please come out and support the roots of a surging life filled movement. There will also be light horsd’oeures
served throught the evening and the fun will be unceasing. Let’s Bring peace back to Oakland in
style.
We spoke with well known graf writer and freedom fighter Refa 1 who came to our studios and spoke with Hard Knock Radio about the importance of this conference and what he and the scores of artists many of them pioneers who are coming from all over the world hope to get across..He shares with us the impact writers have been having on youth in Oakland. He also reminds us that Hip Hop has been grossly peverted by corporations and thats its time for people who are grounded in the community to reclaim the culture.
Here’s the link to the show http://www.kpfa.org/archive/id/67255
Please view the trailer and follow the links.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpGMKA4synE
check web page for schedule changes for the monthly calendar.
http://aerosoulart.com/
Here’s Refa speaking at our class at SF State
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnHB9VSbmpY
Below is more information on this event…
On the corner of 14th and Campbell in West Oakland, one lone aero soul face sits on
the corner of a wall. The face, once part of a larger mural in progress, is all that remains
of the monument to a fallen young man in the neighborhood.
Along the BART corridor near 51st and Martin Luther King Jr. in North Oakland, a painting
of a smiling winged young Black man emanating from rays of light once dawned the
concrete column. It was painted near the very spot where young Gary King ran,
unarmed and in fear, before police bullets entered his back.
From The Corner of 17th and Broadway in Downtown Oakland the beaming face of
Oscar Grant Jr. gleams among roses and sunbeams, a tribute to his untimely death on
a BART platform one New Years day.
With violence claiming their lives daily, many city walls are becoming RIP monuments
for youth instead of a celebration of their existence. Now, re-imagine walls filled with
color and wisdom. Walls for miles etched with the sacred scribings of imagination.
Stepping forth to foster such a vision is the Bay Area Aero Soul Heritage Society, which is
dedicated to reclaiming city walls to foster positive mural projects for youth suffering in
violence-torn communities.
Murals are a lively and engaging way to connect with young people and to create a
positive community environment. THE BAAHS is galvanizing Seasoned Writers to mentor
youth in the art of Spray Can Calligraphy as a way to curb the crisis of staggering
violence and toxicity facing young people in many Urban communities across the
country.
In honor of African History Month The Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society is proud to
present the second AeroSoul event “AeroSoul 2011” which will kick off on February 4th at
the Joyce Gordon Gallery in Downtown Oakland, CA, and be followed by a month-
long series of events including an artist panel, slide show lectures, youth art workshops,
live painting, and educational seminars.
With over 40 well-known Muralists from around the globe, this artistic consciousness-
uplifting endeavor is advancing to bring forward a movement dedicated to fostering
peace, mutual love and healing. A movement that will enlighten the minds and spirits
of the community at large, sending shock waves of change to a society in desperate
need of social face-lift.
AeroSoul 2 will showcase some of the most cutting-edge, dynamic Black Urban
Calligraphers in the world, featuring artists from Writing’s east coast origins to the new
lettering stylists of the day. Participating and invited artists include: Case 2, Pose 2,
Mode2, Mad Hatter, Refa 1, CRE8, Toons, and Many More.
Participating artists will demonstrate the creative benefits of the art form, and promote
the essence of Writing culture, including how it is a means to address many of the social
ills facing the black/brown community today, as well as a tool for collective
empowerment and cultural liberation.
This historical event strives to give recognition to the visionary creators of this urban
craft. The fact that these contributions are rarely shown in their proper historical context
if acknowledged at all has also been a driving force to bring these gems to light.
Oakland Youth, as well as youth across the nation, are facing critical times and taking
responsibility as a community is vital if positive energy and peace are to become the
new driving force in our city streets.
The Bay Area Aerosol Heritage Society actively promotes non-violence and youth
empowerment through Art and Hip Hop culture. BAAHS, founded in 1999, is an
organization created to foster community enlightenment in the city of Oakland. Their
mission is to promote positive youth development and knowledge of culture and the
arts with an emphasis on Bay Area Spray-Can History.
AERO SOUL ART 2: SATELLITE YOUTH ART EXHIBIT (FEBRUARY 1 – MARCH 4TH 2011)
February 25h, 6 PM, Janina’s Posh Pieces Studio: Reception, screening and discussion on youth
art and Hip Hop culture. This satellite Art Exhibit will showcase art by the TCB Crew as well as
work created by East Bay Students, including a special showing of work by youth involved in art
programs at the San Francisco Juvenile Hall Facility. The reception will also feature a screening
of “Urban Hieroglyphics 3”, a work in progress produced by Chocolate Beats Media and Royal
Crownz.
JANINA’S POSH PIECES STUDIO, 3824 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland, CA 94608